East of Arendelle
by WizMonCruWil
Summary: Another Frozen fic inspired by the great epic Your Aunt Elsa, but the ending is altered a little bit. Please, enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Passionate Affair

**Chapter 1: Passionate Affair**

Queen Elsa rose an hour or two after dawn, as she did most mornings. Moving to throw back the covers, she winced, a hand flying to her pronounced abdomen. The baby would be due in just about a month. The Queen had to rock a little just to get onto her feet, and she stretched out the cricks in her lower back. The discomfort there, in her ankles, and in most other parts of her body was starting to leave her frustrated. She recalled the royal physician telling her to take it easy, coming into this final stretch. And she would. As soon as she had breakfast with her family and accomplished one tiny errand, Elsa was going straight back to bed.

Elsa found most of her family seated around the breakfast table: her sister, Anna, brother-in-law, Kristoff, niece Joan and nephew Christian. Even Olaf, the family snowman, was present, munching on a snowball and some leaves. A snowman's diet was apparently very limited.

Seeing her sister, Anna rose right away to help. "Don't over-exert..."

"Fine, I'm fine," Elsa waved off, but she allowed Anna to at least pull out her chair for her. Seating heavily, she smiled at the concerned looks her niece and nephew sent her way. "Good morning, my lovelies. Sleep well?"

15-year-old Joan nodded. "What about you, Auntie?"

"I'm fine, sweetheart."

"Is it OK if I say that I don't believe you?" 8-year-old Christian piped up as he reached for a breakfast roll.

Elsa smiled. "You may, my little Prince. I'm touched by your concern."

Joan frowned. "Anyone know where Uncle...?"

The double doors leading to the dining hall swung open right then, and in strode the King. King Lanford, Elsa's husband.

"Morning all," he greeted drolly, dully. "Lovely day."

He circled round the table, bending and kissing Elsa on the mouth as he passed her chair. Elsa blinked in surprise at the affectionate greeting; it was rare for Lanford.

Lanford had come to Arendelle a few years prior as one of several suitors courting the Queen of Arendelle. He loved hunting, and unlike the other potential partners, Elsa had discovered a lusting attraction for him. She selected him, and the couple wed in an arranged marriage so that Elsa could finally have someone with which to produce an heir.

Unfortunately, the lustful attraction had not lasted for either of them, certainly not for Elsa. Beyond their wedding night, no intimacy had been experienced between them. Lanford spent most of his time hunting, leaving the ruling of Arendelle to his wife. Ruling that she had been doing for the past two decades, almost.

"Where were you this morning?" Elsa asked, as gently as she could.

"Early morning constitution," Lanford reported, falling into his chair beside Kristoff and attacking his plate hurriedly. "Can't stay long, I'm afraid; I have to ready the horses in the stable, round up the dogs..."

Elsa resisted the urge to roll her eyes and slump in her seat. "Another hunting trip?"

Lanford nodded, finishing, and rose from his place. "I will write you when I have the spare minute. Ta-ta, love, Anna, Kristoff, kids."

He didn't even kiss Elsa goodbye this time. The doors shut behind him. The entire exchange, from entrance to exit, took less than five minutes.

Christian huffed out a breath. "Hunt, hunt, hunt - that's all he ever does!"

Joan picked at her food. "He never plays with us."

Kristoff leveled a hard stare at his children, his eyes warning them to, _Be nice_. Though she appreciated it, Elsa felt he didn't have to. It wasn't as though her niece or nephew were saying anything wrong. Lanford had always seemed detached from the royal family, ever since he and Elsa got married.

Her face tight, Elsa finished her meal as delicately as she could, then rose from her place. Kristoff sprang to help even before Anna could, and Elsa accepted the help rather than wave him off. "Well, I'm off to the blacksmith's. I have an important errand."

It was like someone had flipped a switch. Joan and Christian immediately brightened. "To see Robert?"

"Tell him hello from me!" Joan pleaded. She had met Robert in the most unusual of circumstances, when they had both been kidnapped and taken prisoner aboard a docked ship in the Arendelle port. For Robert, it had merely been a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but he had made up for it by fighting the captors as he and Joan made a mad dash to freedom.

"I will, darling," Elsa smiled.

Anna's frown made clear that she didn't like the idea of Elsa going out in her condition. But her sister was the Queen, and once she put her mind to something, there was little stopping her. "Be careful," the Princess stressed.

"I will," Elsa grinned. Then, waving goodbye to her family, she headed off into town.

* * *

Elsa only allowed two sentries to accompany her as an Honor Guard. The blacksmith's shop wasn't that far into the village, and she did not perceive there to be any danger against her. Elsa's people were overjoyed that there would be a new little princess again soon, and desperately wished for her safety.

When Elsa arrived at the shop, she let herself in. Hearing the banging, she turned a corner in the back and smiling, leaned against the wall to just silently observe.

Robert Hansen had always been skilled with his hands. His eyes flashed steely, matching the steel that he pounded away on as he worked, with a concentration that Elsa found captivating. In the weeks after the kidnapping and rescue, she had visited Robert often in a small cottage on the palace grounds to watch him take up his anvil again.

Robert looked up and blinked, his face breaking into a beam when he saw her. "Your Majesty - Elsa!" He stumbled between both greetings and Elsa's smile broadened, finding it cute. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Elsa smiled, blushing a little. "Hello, Robert," she murmured warmly. Stepping forward, she presented the royal scepter. "This needs to be repaired."

"For the royal ball tomorrow night?"

Elsa blushed. "That won't be necessary."

"Of course," Robert nodded. "May I?"

"Please." Elsa allowed him to take the scepter and examine it. Not a minute went by before he nodded. "I see the problem. Come on back with me, and I'll begin. I should have the whole thing repaired by tomorrow evening."

"Thank you," Elsa grinned. She turned to her sentries. "Leave us, and guard the front door." Her soldiers obeyed, and Elsa followed Robert into the rear workroom. Robert placed the scepter gingerly on a worktable, and began extracting some tools.

"So," he began conversationally. "How are the children?"

"I let it slip at breakfast that I was coming to see you today, and they lit up like Christmas trees. They miss you," Elsa murmured gently.

"As do I, my Queen. Every day." In the two months Robert had stayed at the palace, he had grown quite close to the whole royal family. "And you are expecting?"

Elsa patted her swelling stomach expectantly. "I am anxious."

"If I may be so bold, Elsa..."

"When have you ever _not_ been?" she teased, and they shared a laugh.

"You glow. And you will make a fine mother. The King is happy, I'm sure."

Elsa's face dipped. "Yes... he is." In truth, she didn't know. And she really didn't want to talk about Lanford just now. Glancing around the workroom, she wandered from bench to bench, caressing her baby bump all the while. "The old workroom still looks the same. I remember the last time I was in here."

At her back, she heard Robert barely whisper, "So do I."

* * *

**FLASHBACK - 8 Months Earlier**

_Elsa allowed herself to come apart on Robert's shoulder as he held her. His arms felt so warm, warm as the forges he had grown up in all his life, and she did not want to part for the cold of her reality, which would not get any warmer come the dawn. _

_"I can't do it, Robert! I just can't do it!"_

_"You have to marry, Elsa! It's the only way!"_

_The Queen stared up into his face. "I want to marry you!"_

_"And I would like nothing more than to accept, my love. But the Council would never allow their Queen to wed a commoner. How Anna arm-twisted them into letting her marry Kristoff, I'll never know."_

_"Oh, these stupid rules! This isn't fair!" Elsa held his eyes, her lip trembling. "I love you." Robert's paw of a hand brushed her cheek, and she turned her lips into his palm. Then, with a strangled gasp, she was kissing his lips desperately, and Robert was kissing her back. The pair staggered back against a workbench, and Elsa felt Robert's hands encircle her waist... then dip lower. She felt his fingers brush the curvy flesh of her rear, and she trembled, the touch stirring her blood. Boldly, she raised her leg to his waist, hitching it around his torso. She wriggled her hips against the clear evidence of his desire for her. Snapping a hand out, she gallingly cupped Robert between his legs, unclasping his trousers to work him free, and she took him tighter in her palm, stroking him madly. It did not take much to guide him to her entrance._

_Elsa had never had sexual intercourse with any man, but she knew what to do from the few times Anna had gossiped to her about...sexual matters. And besides, if she was to go to bed with anyone for the first time, she would rather it be with this man, who had saved her precious Joanie, and not the Prince Lanford whom she was being forced to marry come morning. _

_As soon as he thrust inside her, Robert spun them both around and hoisted Elsa onto a worktable, clambering on top of her. Elsa spread her legs wider eagerly, wanting to accommodate all of him, as Robert began to thrust. He was really kind and gentle, and his movements seemed somewhat uncertain. Elsa arched her back into her lover, her eyes wide. The moans were low and long. _

_"Oh... Uh... Oh... OHHHHHHH! Yes, Robert! Robert... Robert, please..." Tears pricked at Elsa's eyes, and she felt Robert kiss them away himself. She was begging for release. She had never felt so alive. She had thought she was something of an expert on letting it go, but this was an entirely new kind. _

_The warmth began building in her core, hotter and hotter. Her own little forge that her handsome blacksmith was stoking. At last, Elsa couldn't stand it any longer, and with a tiny, mewling whimper, she came all around him. Robert dove in for another weak slam, two, and then with a grunt, spilled all he had into her. _

_Elsa and Robert embraced and kissed one last time, hurriedly redressing, their faces pink. "Goodbye!" Elsa choked out through tears. Then kissing the man she loved gently one final time, Elsa had her feet do the hardest thing they ever had to do, and walked away from him. She returned to the castle and wed Prince Lanford the next morning. _

* * *

**PRESENT**

"That was the best and the worst night of my life," Robert admitted to her softly, bringing Elsa back into the real world.

"I'm sorry I couldn't invite you to the wedding," Elsa confessed - a reply that sounded so stupid, even to her own ears.

"I had to watch you kiss that guy on your balcony with everyone cheering. That was awful enough," Robert brushed away. His words were like a burning poker sent straight into Elsa's heart.

Turning her face even more away, Elsa wiped at her eyes. Something was bubbling up in her throat, and she couldn't keep it down any longer. Spinning to face him, she blasted out, "I need to tell you something!" Her hands clutched at her womb covetously. "This baby... it's yours."

Robert blinked in astonishment. "How do you know?" he asked measuredly. "It could just as easily be... the King's. From your wedding night. Unless..."

_Yes, it could have been,_ Elsa thought to herself. She and Lanford had indeed made love in her chambers that night after the wedding, but since that time, had yet to do so again. But Elsa had one way that she knew for sure. "The trolls said my baby's father was not of royal blood."

Robert raised an eyebrow. He had heard the stories from the royal children and Kristoff of how there were trolls in the mountains. "And you believe them?"

Elsa shrugged. "My brother-in-law was raised by trolls. They're family. And they know magic. They were quite certain of what they spoke."

Robert regarded Elsa curiously. For a moment, there was silence. And then -

His large hands cupped her face and tilted her chin upwards. And then he was kissing her, his lips crashing down on hers jubilantly again and again. Elsa let out a startled squeak, but then, closing her eyes, she fisted Robert's shirt in her hands and let out a satisfied, guttural groan. "Mmmmmm..."

Limbs wound about each other in a tight embrace, and Robert was soon lifting Elsa off her feet, staggering her into the wall. His fingers tore at her ice dress, wrenching the bodice free so he could bury his mouth in between the swelling valley of her breasts. Elsa threw her head back, panting, as her more dainty fingers worked to free Robert's trousers. She had not had sex in so long, and she wanted it - wanted _him_ \- right this minute.

When Robert slammed his manliness into her, Elsa moaned pathetically. It was like coming home, and she rocked against him insistently.

"Hmmmmm... Mmmmm... Mmmmm! Robert..."

With the last presence of mind she had left, Elsa waved her hand and froze the door handle. She only hoped her sentries wouldn't hear them, never mind any other customers.

"I love you, Elsa..." Robert groaned.

"I. Love. You. Robert. Hansen," Elsa punctuated each word with a frantic kiss.

At last, with plaintive cries, the couple came apart together. Elsa cradled her lover close, refusing to let him pull out for a moment or two. But they finally separated and redressed. Robert dared to steal one last kiss from Elsa and she allowed it.

"I will bring the scepter by myself come tomorrow evening. Be well... Your Majesty."

Elsa nodded. "You as well... Mr. Hansen." And collecting herself, she unfroze the door, exited the shop and summoned her sentries. And the Queen slowly made her way back to the castle.


	2. Chapter 2: You'll Never Be Rid of Me

**Chapter 2: You'll Never Be Rid of Me**

Elsa awoke the morning of the ball to find her husband sleeping next to her. He had not yet returned when she had gone to bed; the hunting party must have arrived at the palace late. Rising languidly, Elsa crossed to her dresser and dawned a simple sundress; there was a lot of work to do to prepare for the ball that night, and she wanted to oversee the set-up as comfortably as possible. Besides, her more regal gowns were becoming more and more uncomfortable - frankly, some of them no longer even fit.

The day passed by in a blur. Elsa collaborated with Kai on each and every detail. When things were at a lull, she took the time to play with Joan and Christian.

At last, evening arrived and the people of Arendelle and small delegations of foreign guests flooded the open gates. Security was careful enough, but the Captain of the Guard had briefed the royal family that he expected no serious threats during the evening.

Elsa took the first dance with her husband, King Lanford, but as soon as the song was over, he took his leave to make small talk with a few of his hunting friends. Elsa then allowed herself to be passed from man to man, according to the order filled out on her dance card. Kristoff first, then Christian, then several Dukes and Counts. Finally, a hooded figure ended up in her arms, a party mask covering the top half of his face. This wasn't exactly unusual; the people of Arendelle enjoyed masquerade balls. But when the mysterious dancer removed the mask from his eyes, Elsa's blood ran cold.

"You are looking particularly voluptuous, my Queen," Prince Hans of the Southern Isles sneered as he left Elsa no choice but to waltz about with him. The mask came back on, a terrified Elsa darting her eyes about fearfully. Anna's back was to her, chatting with some dignitaries from Corona in one corner. Kristoff, her brother-in-law, was over by the punch bowl with Sven. As she opened her mouth, she felt Hans' nails dig into her waist.

"Scream for anyone, and you will regret it," he snarled. "Come. _Now_."

Gulping, Elsa was forced to follow Hans out of the ballroom and into the deserted hallway. She hoped someone from her family or staff might see them leave and become suspicious - perhaps Christian, he was a smart lad and very protective of his Auntie.

As soon as they were alone, Elsa spun to face Hans, trying to stare him down. "What do you want?" she snapped, braver than she felt.

Hans cocked an eyebrow. "The revenge I am due. For you ruining my life. This kingdom was meant to be mine!"

"You tried to kill me! You left my sister for dead!" Elsa snarled. "I owe you nothing!"

Hans shrugged. "Money would be enough, Your Majesty."

Elsa scoffed. "You would dare to bribe me? You're mad!"

"Oh, not so, Elsa, because if you don't give me exactly what I want... here is what will happen: your dim-witted sister? Dead. That oaf she calls her husband? Dead. Their revolting spawn? Enslaved, and then killed when they beg for death. Your King will be deposed and exiled. I will track down your lover and torture him. And then last of all, I will gut you and that disgusting thing that squirms in your womb."

Wide-eyed, Elsa drew her hands protectively around her stomach.

"Annabelle, yes? That is to be her name, is it not?"

Yes, it was true. As soon as Elsa learned that it was a girl she carried, she had announced to Lanford that she wished for the baby to share her sister's name. Lanford agreed as he always did: nonchalantly, not particularly caring.

It took everything for Elsa not to conjure a blizzard or send an icicle straight into Hans' temple. Only her deep love for her family kept that at bay. Her anger, though, remained unchecked.

"You touch any of them, I swear to God... I will obliterate you! Get out of here before I drop a glacier on your head. If you don't, I'll sic the guards on you -"

She was cut off as Hans crushed his lips to hers in a violent kiss. After a moment of mortified disbelief, Elsa wrenched herself free. SMACK! She slapped him hard across the face, freezing her palm so that it hurt extra hard. Hans rubbed at his jaw, and Elsa hoped he was grateful that it was not due to Anna's right hook.

The look Hans leveled at her chilled her bones. "You'll never be rid of me," he vowed in a growl. "I can't ever rest. I told you how it was, and you wouldn't listen." And, mask back on, he stormed for the palace gates.

Elsa stood there for an untold amount of minutes, trembling. At long last, the ballroom doors opened, and Kai came out.

"Ah, Your Majesty! There you are! Everyone has been asking for you..."

"Kai! Kai... will you do something for me? Will you please get... Kristoff! Get Kristoff! I have to see him," Elsa begged tearfully.

Kai blinked, peering at his Queen curiously and maybe with a little fear. "Milady...?"

"Please!"

Kai hastily bowed. "As you wish." And he toddled back into the ballroom. While she waited, she paced up and down the hallway fretfully. Recalling a happier time where she had these kinds of nerves - the birth of her sister's babies - she attempted to take her mind back to those moments, but it didn't help.

At last, she heard a voice behind her. "What are you fretting about, you silly old woman?" It was a worn joke between her and her brother-in-law. Elsa threw her arms about his neck and broke down sobbing.

"Kristoff, I'm afraid! Afraid for our lives!" she wept.

Kristoff held her, though he appeared clearly out of his element. "Do you want me to get Anna?"

"Don't leave me! None of you can leave me!" Elsa clung to him tighter.

"We won't," Kristoff promised. "Now what the hell is going on?"

Elsa finally stepped away, wiping at her eyes. "Hans. He was here tonight... he got into the castle. He threatened us, Kristoff! He threatened to hurt the children!"

Kristoff dipped his eyes towards Elsa's belly. "All of them?"

She nodded.

Kristoff inhaled deep, then barked, "GUARDS!" He wasn't comfortable commanding the palace guards, even now; Elsa knew that much. But something in his tone and body language gave him the strength to do so. "Seal off this entire castle, and fan out towards the villages. An intruder was here tonight, and is now a fugitive. He must not leave Arendelle. Your target is Prince Hans of the Southern Isles - go get him!"

The guards scrambled, and Kristoff took Elsa's hand. "Come on." He began to tug her towards the ballroom.

"Kristoff... what...?" Elsa was baffled.

"I will not let my family be threatened like this!" Kristoff spun to her, eyes wild. Never, in all the years she had known him, had Elsa seen him like this before. "You swing at my family, you'd better not miss, you'd better have another punch to throw! Now, come - I am taking you to Anna and the children."

And Kristoff led his sister-in-law back into the ballroom.


	3. Chapter 3: No Escape

**Chapter 3: No Escape**

Lanford was annoyed at Kristoff commanding the palace guards. Elsa could hear the brothers-in-law arguing about it in the hallway as she tried to settle down to sleep. She decided to spend the night with Joan and Christian in the nursery, with the door locked. Anna and Kristoff stayed in their room.

It was deep night when Elsa was woken out of a heavy slumber by banging and shouting. There was the slicing of swords being drawn and then -

BOOM. BOOM. The castle walls shook. Christian and Joan had woken up by now too, the boy whimpering. A rattling made all three look towards the door.

"Auntie? What's happening?" Joan trembled.

"I don't know, precious. I don't..." The door handle rattled again.

"ELSA!" Kristoff's familiar voice was all that made Elsa cross to the door and open it. But she nearly sent an icicle into Kristoff's face anyway, out of cautious defense.

Immediately, Kristoff was grabbing for her and the children, yanking them the few feet down the hall to the Princess's private residence. "Come on!" Another tremor rocked the castle, as the royal family dived into the Princess's chambers, where a terrified Anna was waiting. Olaf clutched at her leg.

"We're being attacked. The castle's been breached. Armed men combing through the entrance," Kristoff nearly tripped over his words in a rush.

"You saw them?" Elsa gaped.

"From the top of the staircase, then I ran back here. There's something else too:" and he fixed his wife's sister with a solemn stare. "Lanford's dead. I saw his body, by the front door."

Elsa's face fell ever so slightly. "Oh," was all she could muster to say. She felt... she wasn't sure, only that it was somewhere between something and nothing. Had her husband been tricked into opening the gates? Or was it something... far more sinister? She shook her head to clear it.

The castle trembled again.

"How do we get out of here?" Anna yelped.

Elsa's brow furrowed in thought. "Follow me, and stay close," she ordered.

The royal family tore into the hallway, Elsa in the lead, hands clasped in hands and forming a chain. The quintet and their snowman made it to Elsa's rooms, as they heard armed men behind them coming up the staircases and reaching the second floor.

Locking the door, Elsa threw aside her bookcase to reveal a hidden passageway. A tunnel. Anna stared in amazement.

"How is it you never told me this was here?"

"Because it's only for emergencies," Elsa reported flatly. "Like now. It'll get us to the roof. The turrets."

"And then what?" Kristoff asked.

"I don't know. Still working on that one," Elsa admitted. "Children, Olaf -" She helped the little ones into the passage, then let Anna and Kristoff followed. Elsa went last, pulling the bookcase to.

Elsa used the glow from her snow powers and her hands to light the way. It was not a long passage, and soon, the royal family emerged through a hidden door onto one turret. No sooner had they all gathered on a small balcony, then -

BOOM. An explosion, a giant fireball, landed the next tower over, the aftershock forcing Kristoff to huddle his big strong arms around his family. "Down, keep the kids down!" he ordered his wife.

Kristoff scanned the rooftops wildly. In his years of marriage, he had grown to know the castle almost as well as his wife and sister-in-law did. The turret to their right was in flames. And the turret to their left...

There was a piercing shriek, and Kristoff looked up to see a fireball coming right at them. "MOVE!" He hustled everyone partially around the turret, so that their secret passage was blasted with heavy damage. Stones tumbled onto the balcony behind them, creating a pile of rubble.

Kristoff turned his attention back to the turret to their left. Down below, he could see the corpses of guards, and armed, hooded figures invading the parapets. Shouts could be heard behind him, almost behind the walls of the turret, and Kristoff knew in his bones that the Queen's chambers had been compromised, the secret passage discovered. Only the pile of rubble and some fire separated them from the approaching hoard.

But... if they could just get to that next turret over... scale down the walls... they would be right on top of the royal stables. And Sven - a way out of here...

He could ask Elsa to make an ice bridge, but the men below would surely see it. A plan fell into Kristoff's head and he turned to his wife.

"You're going to jump first, over to that next turret, then I'm gonna throw the kids over, one at a time," Kristoff hissed to Anna. Anna was sobbing, moaning, her eyes wide with fear.

"I can't..." The sounds of cracking stone, clearer voices.

"Anna, look at me - LOOK AT ME!" Kristoff snapped. "We are going to _die_ here - listen to me!"

That snapped Anna out of it. "OK." Turning to the turret, she took a deep breath. Bracing herself against their tower, she took a running start and silently leapt. She landed surprisingly gracefully, and the men below did not seem to notice. Kristoff then turned to his son, picked him up. "Christian, I need you to close your eyes, OK?"

"No, don't do it!" Christian was hysterical.

Kristoff fiercely kissed his forehead. "If I don't, those people are going to hurt you!" And he threw him.

Time slowed down. Christian tumbled through the air like a rag doll, Anna reaching for him, arms outstretched. And...

She caught him. Kristoff grabbed Joan with surprising strength and at Anna's signal, flung her across the expanse. Joan more or less crashed into her mother, Anna taking the impact as they tumbled back against the turret.

Behind Kristoff and Elsa, the pile of rubble shifted. The pair looked at each other.

"Ice bridge?"

"Hold onto me," Elsa ordered. She created an ice bridge to the other turret, as they ran, reaching the rest of the family safely. Olaf tittered behind them, for once in his life staying as silent as the snow. Elsa quickly used her relief at her family's safe crossing, her love for them, to thaw the bridge. Then, the royal family scaled, hand over hand, down the far-most turret and onto the stable house roof. They dropped down quietly, Kristoff breaking in and retrieving Sven, readying a sleigh and throwing a canvas over it.

"Sven: go!" The reindeer leapt forward, tugging the sleigh through the palace grounds and out towards the villages. In the chaos, no one noticed or bothered with it.

"I know a place that we can hide," Elsa told her brother-in-law. "Tell Sven to go to the blacksmith's." Kristoff set a course for the blacksmith shop.

* * *

Kristoff parked the sleigh right by the front door, in the deserted and quiet street. Most of the village houses were dark, with doors locked. That didn't deter Elsa from rapping on the blacksmith's door desperately.

"Robert! Please let us in! It's me!"

After a moment, the family could hear the bolt unlatching, the lock turning. A worried Robert opened the door and poked his head out, quickly ushering the group in.

"Elsa, what in God's name is going on?" Robert asked, as she hugged him tightly. "The palace sounds like it's coming apart!"

"We're being invaded. The King has been killed," Elsa informed flatly. Robert gaped, but said nothing. Elsa now guided his hand and placed it over her swollen belly. Tears invaded her eyes and her voice. "Come away with me," she pleaded softly. "Help me raise our child. Leave everything else behind while we still can!"

Robert gazed at her. "Can't we... do something? Can't we fight them off? Your powers -"

Elsa shook her head. "I'm thinking for two people now," she admitted.

There was a slight pause. Then Robert nodded. "OK. Let's do it." Then, he admitted, more quietly, "I'd follow you anywhere."

Beaming tearfully, Elsa kissed him.

Meanwhile, Anna was watching the exchange curiously. Elsa met her sister's eyes, turning around in Robert's arms. "You're the father, aren't you?" the Princess demanded of Robert. Robert nodded. Anna slowly smiled, the gesture signaling her blessing and approval. "I'm glad it's you," she confessed to the blacksmith. Christian's eyes were shining, Joan was practically dancing, starry-eyed over how romantic it was. Robert turned to his lover.

"I have to get some tools. And the scepter. Just a few things. Meet down by the fjord?"

Elsa winced nervously, then she kissed Robert wildly on the lips in a series of frantic pecks. "Be careful," she implored.

The royal family snuck out of the shop, and Kristoff guided the sleigh at a trot down to the fjord. The reindeer stood guard as the royal family waited. Ten minutes passed. Then fifteen. Almost twenty when -

At last, Robert appeared, a rucksack over his shoulder. Racing to the group, he took Elsa's hand in his. Holding his eyes, Elsa nodded, and slowly took one step onto the water. It instantly froze underfoot. More confidently with every step, Elsa guided her baby's father by the hand across the fjord. Anna, Olaf and the children followed behind, Kristoff bringing up the rear as he guided Sven and the sleigh.

The band of fugitives finally reached the opposite shore, and fled into the mountains, leaving Arendelle behind.


	4. Chapter 4: Lost in the Wilderness

**Chapter 4: Lost in the Wilderness**

Kristoff pushed Sven all through the night. In the distance, Elsa and the others could see the catapults raining down fireballs on their beloved home. The palace had surely been taken by now. Though the perpetrators were unknown, the guards' unsuccessful hunt for Hans made Elsa sense deep in her bones that it was he who was responsible.

The sky wasn't quite awake when they reached a mossy plain littered with boulders and hot springs. Kristoff pulled up on the reins, allowing everyone to stop and rest. "We're here," he breathed in relief.

He didn't even have to call for them. Kristoff's troll family came rolling into being, their happiness at seeing him quickly fading away when they saw the state everyone was in. Kristoff beckoned Grand Pabbie forward, and the pair talked in low voices. Elsa knew her sister's husband has been raised wild by trolls, but even now, their bond was something she would never truly understand.

"And what of the King?" she caught Grand Pabbie saying.

"Assassinated. The rest of us barely escaped with our lives."

The summit was interrupted by Bulda, Kristoff's troll mother, getting almost right in Elsa's face. "Your Majesty, you look positively radiant! When is the little one due?" Then she caught sight of Robert, looking him up and down approvingly. "And who is this?"

"Um... this is Robert. My..." Elsa fumbled, unsure exactly what to call him.

Robert, still wary upon seeing boulders come to life and trolls for the first time, awkwardly waved. "Uh... hi." And he got even more uncomfortable when Bulda started examining him rather personally.

"Good nose... kind eyes... strong teeth! Yes, yes, she'll do nicely for our Elsa!"

Elsa and Robert burst out laughing, blushing. "Oh, we're not..." They stopped. "Wait, are we?"

Bulda raised an eyebrow. "Really? Girl, please, you two are talking in sync! You are destined for each other!"

As soon as Kristoff heard the phrase, _'destined for each other,'_ he panicked. "Oh, no, no - there will be no more love experts foisted on this family!" He tried to order strongly.

Bulda fixed him with a Mom stare. "Dear, please, let me handle this."

"No. Let me," Elsa piped up suddenly. And then, she rather dramatically got down on one knee. "Robert..." she tried slowly, unsure of the gaping look he was sending her. "Will you marry me?"

Robert looked between the trolls, Olaf and Sven hanging on pins and needles, Anna's agape face, Joan and Christian's ecstatically happy faces and finally Kristoff's expression that seemed to read, _You really want in on this family? Be my guest!_ Finally, he gazed at the most beautiful woman he had ever known, and spoke one word.

"Yes."

The trolls cheered, and launched into a flurry of activity, dragging Elsa away and pampering her. Robert lunged for the safest person in the area: Kristoff. "What's going on?"

"Let them do what they want to you. And whatever you do, don't resist," Kristoff said flatly, allowing his relatives to drag his wife's sister's... fiancé away. Soon, Elsa and Robert were dressed in wedding attire crafted from the wild, and shuffled into position under a canopy of rocks. Grand Pabbie stepped forward to officiate. When Elsa and Robert caught first sight of each other, they were left breathless at each other's beauty.

Elsa smirked. "Mr. Hansen….."

For his part, Robert was tongue-tied. "It's really you, isn't it?"

Elsa blushed. "Just so."

"Um….. when this is all over, would you do me the honor of saving me the first….. the first…." Robert's voice trailed off.

Elsa smiled. "Dance?" she saved him.

"Dance, right. There it is."

Robert and Elsa exchanged vows, the Queen saving hers for last.

"I languished in a loveless marriage, thinking it was the only way to protect you. But instead, I lost the only man I've ever really loved. Well, no more. I love you, and nothing and no one is going to make me question my heart again." Elsa breathed and then proclaimed, "I love my husband."

Then Elsa and Robert embraced and kissed to raucous cheering.

* * *

A few weeks later, deep in the wilderness, deep in the cave that the royal family of Arendelle had fashioned into their new home, Elsa lay on a bed of leaves, panting, screaming, her knees spread in labor while Anna, Joan, Bulda and Robert attended to her. The agonizing pain was unbearable, Elsa straining against her wailing cries until finally...

The cries of her daughter could be heard.

Kristoff and Christian took the newborn to a nearby stream to clean it, before passing it back to its mother. Anna waited expectantly for a name, the gender, anything. But Elsa was silent, lost in love. "What do you have?" her sister asked.

"The answer to my prayers," Elsa sighed.

"You prayed to give an all-natural birth in the middle of nowhere?" Anna attempted to clarify.

"No. I prayed for a daughter. My heir. And here she is, at last."

"Not to rain on your parade, but your heir is kinda wrapped in a burlap sack," Anna pointed out.

"If my daughter is covered in it, it is a royal robe," Elsa beamed. She now moved her eyes to Anna. "I am the Queen of Arendelle, and this is my daughter. She will rule in our house, as the Princess and then Queen of this land. Annabelle..."

Anna frowned. "You got it half-right."

"I wasn't saying your name," Elsa smirked.

And with that, Anna burst into tears.

* * *

The royal fugitives eventually moved on, higher and higher into the mountains, until they scaled the North Mountain, and reached Elsa's Ice Palace. Marshmallow was a gracious host, and though he was deeply mistrustful of Robert at first, the pair eventually got along great.

As Elsa knew well, it was a fine enough place to go into exile. But as the weeks went by, and she looked around at her family, the children hiding their shivering at night, Elsa knew this could not last forever. Though she was scared, Elsa knew it would be cowardly to not go home and attempt to take back her kingdom.


	5. Chapter 5: Battle of Arendelle

**Chapter 5: Battle of Arendelle**

Elsa peered about nervously as her husband helped her down from the sleigh. Just inside the villages of Arendelle, having passed through in disguise, she hoped they would have the courage and fortune to reclaim their homeland.

The rest of the royal family had agreed to Elsa's proposal to wage battle against Arendelle. The plan seemed much less foolhardy when Olaf, Sven, Marshmallow and the trolls agreed to help. Couple that with Elsa's ice powers, and they might actually stand a chance.

The whole motley crew had conducted an exodus down the mountain, returning to Arendelle by land. Right away, they could see that the kingdom they had left weeks earlier had been changed, traumatized. The harbors and palace grounds were under military occupation. Propaganda posters extolling King Hans were plastered on every wall and column.

Approaching the palace gates - now sickeningly closed once again - Elsa shot a blast of ice at a guard without warning. The trolls charged, bringing down other sentries with their stony hands, as the rest of Elsa's family rushed forward, seized weapons and engaged. Having Marshmallow whacking at soldiers as though they were ninepins was a huge help, and the group of rebels advanced quickly, past the gates, into the courtyard, and into the castle itself.

Elsa led the charge, floor by floor and room by room. She inherently sensed where the final confrontation would be, and was proven right when she tried the door she was looking for.

The band burst into Elsa's old study by breaking the door down, which had been rudimentarily and rather pathetically barricaded. Hans was seated at Elsa's former desk, and though his face was placidly calm, it belied a twinge of fear.

"Your reign is at an end, Your Majesty," Elsa snarled.

Hans raised an eyebrow. "Queen Elsa... you survived."

She smirked. "Surprised?"

"Arrogant witch," Hans spat. "I warned you what would happen. And now you will watch as I rip everyone you love from your arms." Ripping a sword from the wall, Hans rushed forward with the blade. Clutching baby Annabelle close and thinking fast, Elsa froze the blade, but unlike that terrible day on the icy fjord when she and Anna were young, the blade did not shatter. A layer of frost covered the silver instead. Unfortunately, Elsa had reacted without forethought, and so she watched in horror as Robert suddenly leapt in front of his family, taking the sword in his chest himself. Instantly, her husband froze from head to toe and collapsed to the floor.

"ROBERT!"

The icicle came from nowhere, and sliced clean through Hans' skull. The evil prince's mouth dropped open and he crumpled; he died almost instantly. Passing a wailing Annabelle to Joan, Elsa sank to her knees and cradled her husband in her lap. Remembering how she used to sing as a child whenever she was scared for Anna, Elsa sang to him, though she didn't know if he could hear her.

_"We are home... we are where we shall be forever... trust in me, for you know I won't run away... from today, this is all that I need and all that I need to say... Home should be where the heart is; I'm certain as I can be. I've found home - you're my home... stay with me..."_

There was absolutely no response. "No... no... please, no... Please don't leave me! I love you!" Holding him close, Elsa began to sob.

She was so consumed by her grief that she did not notice that her love and her weeping were making her husband thaw. Not until Robert's hand brushed her face. Elsa's eyes widened and she broke into a beaming smile. "Robert!" They hugged. And much like another time with frozen loved ones, the Queen asked, "You sacrificed yourself for _me_?"

Robert shrugged. "I love you."

The doors to the study suddenly opened further, and in came most of Elsa's Council, staring at the remnants of the battle in disbelief.

"Well, you've certainly proven your worth to me," the Prime Minister admitted, as Kristoff and Anna helped Robert to his feet. "I declare that the Queen may marry whomever she deems worthy."

An overjoyed Elsa leapt into Robert's arms. "I choose you!" she smiled.

Robert chuckled, and secretly winked. "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

Days later, Robert and Elsa were married before the whole of Arendelle, in the chapel where Elsa had first been coronated as Queen. Their whole family was there, even Annabelle, squirming in her Aunt Anna's arms.

And as Elsa embraced and kissed the man she loved, she knew that she had finally gotten everything she had ever wanted. And here it would all remain, with her, in Arendelle.


End file.
